Procurement Specialist

About the Team

Avride is a leading developer in the autonomous vehicle and delivery robot industry. Our dynamic team, consisting of several hundred engineers, develops and operates autonomous cars and delivery robots across the globe, shaping the future of mobility and logistics.

You’ll be joining an energetic, globally distributed team of passionate professionals. While our daily operational hub and core activities are based right here in Austin, TX, you will collaborate with colleagues, internal stakeholders, and suppliers around the world - giving you genuine international exposure while keeping our day-to-day U.S. operations running smoothly.

About the Role

We are looking for a reliable, process-driven Procurement Specialist to join our Austin team. In this role, you will take ownership of the tactical execution of day-to-day indirect procurement and operational purchasing activities, including corporate services, software and SaaS licenses, IT tools, and operational hardware.

You will coordinate procurement workflows from request to order and invoice resolution: managing purchase requests, obtaining and evaluating quotes, coordinating vendor onboarding, routing contracts for review and approval, issuing purchase orders, tracking deliveries and renewals, and maintaining accurate procurement records. You will work closely with internal stakeholders, Document Support, Legal, and Finance/Accounting to keep purchasing activities compliant, efficient, and aligned with business needs. The ideal candidate is hands-on and detail-oriented, while also being proactive about resolving issues and improving processes.

What You’ll Do

• End-to-End Operational Procurement: Manage day-to-day purchasing requests across indirect spend categories, including SaaS licenses, IT tools, corporate services for HR, Service Desk and Facilities, workplace needs, and operational equipment and hardware.
• Procure-to-Pay (P2P) Execution: Process purchase requisitions, verify that required approvals are in place, prepare and issue Purchase Orders (POs), confirm order placement, track deliveries, and support timely and accurate invoice processing. Ensure orders follow internal purchasing procedures and that POs are issued before orders are placed where required.
• Vendor Relationship Management: Maintain strong, collaborative relationships with key suppliers, monitor vendor performance against agreed expectations, and serve as the primary operational contact for day-to-day commercial and account-related matters.
• Commercial Negotiations & Sourcing: Request, evaluate, and compare supplier quotes; negotiate pricing, payment schedules, delivery terms, cancellation provisions, and renewal timelines; and identify opportunities to improve commercial value. Escalate material sourcing decisions or non-standard terms when appropriate.
• Subscription & Renewal Management: Maintain visibility into software and service subscriptions, license quantities, renewal and expiration dates, and cancellation notice periods. Coordinate renewals, upgrades, downgrades, license changes, and cancellations to help prevent unwanted auto-renewals and unnecessary spend.
• Spend & Budget Control: Monitor procurement spend against approved budgets and purchase approvals, validate supplier pricing and commercial terms against agreed purchase orders, identify cost-saving opportunities, and flag unexpected expenses or potential budget overruns to the relevant stakeholders.
• Cross-Functional Coordination: Work closely with Document Support, Legal, Finance/Accounting, and other internal teams to coordinate vendor onboarding, contracts, NDAs, Order Forms, and supporting documentation, resolve invoice discrepancies, and support timely invoice reconciliation.
• Stakeholder Support: Serve as a reliable operational point of contact for department heads and requesters across Infrastructure, HR, IT, Facilities, and Operations, translating business needs into clear procurement actions and communicating status, requirements, and potential delays.
• International Procurement Coordination: Coordinate purchasing activities across international locations by working with local suppliers and internal teams, taking into account local purchasing requirements, documentation, delivery constraints, and time zones.
• Data Integrity, Reporting & Process Improvement: Maintain accurate procurement registers, vendor records, purchase documentation, and renewal calendars. Prepare basic spend and purchasing reports, keep records audit-ready, and identify practical ways to simplify workflows, improve visibility, and strengthen procurement controls.
• Operational Issue Resolution: Proactively address delivery discrepancies, invoice misalignments, shipment delays, and fulfillment bottlenecks, driving timely resolutions with suppliers and internal teams to minimize disruption to operations.

What You’ll Need

• Experience: 3+ years of experience in procurement, purchasing, vendor management, or related operational functions.
• Procurement Process Knowledge: Strong understanding of enterprise procurement processes, including Procure-to-Pay (P2P) workflows, approval matrices, PO management, vendor onboarding, and contract approval procedures.
• Indirect Procurement Exposure: Hands-on experience with indirect procurement categories such as software/SaaS subscriptions, professional and corporate services, IT tools, or workplace supplies; familiarity with, or readiness to manage, general hardware and technical equipment purchases.
• Commercial & Analytical Skills: Ability to evaluate supplier quotes, compare commercial proposals, understand basic cost structures, and negotiate pricing, payment terms, and delivery schedules.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Ability to work effectively with Legal, Finance/Accounting, Document Support, and diverse internal stakeholders, while communicating clearly with suppliers and requesters.
• Systems & Tools: Proficiency with ERP or Procure-to-Pay systems and productivity tools such as Google Workspace, Slack, and Jira (or similar project management tools).
• Organization & Prioritization: Strong attention to detail, personal accountability, and the ability to manage multiple requests, meet deadlines, and prioritize work based on urgency and business impact.
• Proactive, Execution-First Mindset: A hands-on approach to resolving problems, taking ownership through completion, and identifying practical process improvements.

Nice to Have

• Structured Corporate Environment: Experience working in a mid-sized or large organization with established procurement processes, compliance requirements, approval workflows, and internal policies.
• Contract Familiarity: Basic understanding of common commercial agreements and documents, such as MSAs, SOWs, NDAs, and Order Forms, and experience coordinating them through internal Legal review.
• International Purchasing: Experience coordinating purchases with suppliers or internal teams across multiple countries.
• Subscription Administration: Experience tracking SaaS license usage, subscription renewals, or software asset-related processes.

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